Alix Ingber: The Harvest Begins

Chilis (Alix Ingber photos)

July is payoff time at the Sweet Briar Community Garden. The tomatoes and peppers that we have been patiently tending are beginning to ripen, cucumbers and green beans abound, and all sorts of goodies signal the transition from spring greens to full summer delights. Squash bugs demolished my beautiful zucchini, but we do a lot of sharing at the garden, so I’m not feeling deprived. One gardener has been leaving piles of beautiful cucumbers in the pavilion for others to enjoy.

Those who planted their okra early are beginning to harvest them, and the edamame are also starting to ripen. One gardener has a couple of fully ripe ears of corn; the rest of us probably have a week or two to wait. There are a few small watermelons getting bigger by the day, and the winter squash is beginning to set fruit. The eggplant, as usual, is slow, but a few blossoms have appeared, so we are hopeful.

The hot peppers we need for our hot sauce are beginning to ripen; we’ll start collecting and freezing these soon.

Here are some harvesting tips for new gardeners:

Tomatoes and peppers: Both take time to ripen, so don’t be in a hurry. Yellow, red, and orange peppers start off as green peppers. Leave them alone until they start changing color.

Green beans and okra: Don’t let them get too big. This can be a problem if you don’t make daily visits to the garden.

Cucumbers: Harvest after the little spines on the peel are mainly gone.

Tomatillo: This is the first year we have harvested this early—usually they don’t really ripen until late in the season. Pick when the papery husk is filled out with fruit and the husk begins to turn slightly brown. If you wait too long the fruit will fall off the vine and shrivel.

Summer squash: Don’t let the fruits get too big!

Garlic: After harvesting, they need to be washed, trimmed and dried. This will take several weeks. Using a fan for drying is a good idea.

The problem with eating seasonally, of course, is storage and preservation. In the next installment I’ll give you a few tips on how to get through the year with your garden harvest. —Alix Ingber

Alix Ingber, who has taught Spanish at Sweet Briar College since 1980, is a Buildings & Grounds guest blogger who is contributing occasional updates on this season’s progress at the Sweet Briar Community Garden. You can read earlier posts here, here, and here.